


Unbound

by Becangle, Jglbly934TXS



Category: Love Island (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Psychological Horror, cabin in the woods
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:20:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27104107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Becangle/pseuds/Becangle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jglbly934TXS/pseuds/Jglbly934TXS
Summary: A vacation with friends turns deadly.*on hiatus
Relationships: Bobby McKenzie/Main Character (Love Island)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

_ Breathe. You need to breathe. _

Tears silently streamed down Hope’s face, stinging against the cuts in her cheek. Every salty drop a reminder of the wood slivers and glass embedded in her skin.

_ Jakub. _

She clutched her red-stained compact, staring into her reflection. One eye watching behind her, the other glaring back at her own quivering image. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip, stifling any attempt at an involuntary scream. 

Hope’s legs ached - it felt like she’d been crouched behind the counter for hours. A small stone was embedding itself into her knee but she didn’t dare move. What was one small pain in the face of death? Why wouldn’t Jakub listen to her? Why didn’t any of them listen to her? They could be here. She didn’t have to be alone. But she was.

_ Concentrate on your breathing. It’s been what, ten breaths? You haven’t been here that long. Just concentrate. Stay quiet. Keep watching. Just wait. Light is coming. This has to work. _

The window slammed shut. Just a gust of wind. Probably. But a gust meant warmer air. Warmer air meant morning was coming. In a moment of excitement Hope longed to see the window. Her gaze drifted from the mirror, taking one last glance into her reflection before looking away. The stiff bones in her neck gave an imperceptible creak as she turned her head. Hope froze, her eye darting back to the mirror. Shaking, she looked back into the reflected darkness behind her. She felt cold. Stupid for taking such a risk. It wasn’t worth it. No movement would be worth it until sun beamed into the cabin, freeing her from this horror. She gazed into the darkness behind her, watching for any movement. Any sign that it was here, but saw nothing.

Hope winced as she heard a buzzing in her ears. A strange throbbing, dissonant sound that covered her thoughts. Fogging her ability to rationalize, pushing her plan deep, deep down, smothered by a discordant melody of self-doubt - dragging itself on all fours, bones scraping against dried sinew. A quiet scream roiling within her stomach, raising to the back of her spine. Waves of ice. Rising up, resting at the base of her skull, bundling and pulsing - taking hold. Cold replaced by warmth, enveloping. Inviting her. Why fight it if this is how she felt?

_ I just wanted a plan. Even a bad one. There’s no one left to save. _

Hope closed her eyes, focusing only on the darkness behind her eyelids. When she opened them, her eyes left the mirror. It felt good. Her gaze lingered on the cabin. Red. So much red. There was Jo. Splayed across the countertop, arms and legs akimbo. She was dancing. Swinging on the hanging lights above. They were nice lights. Hope had said she shouldn’t, but she did. The cables snapped, the glass broke, the current flowed. 

_ An honest mistake.  _

_ I guess.  _

_ Stop.  _

_ The mirror. What are you doing? The plan. Look back. Wait. It feels wrong but you need to look. Look and wait. _

Hope’s eyes darted back to her mirror, still suspended in front of her face by an arm too tense to move. 

There was the smile. White, blunt teeth. Closer than they’d ever been. Black on all sides but those teeth were white like bleached bone. Like they glowed. A hovering grin, mere feet behind her. Hope let out a choked sob as the smile receded into the darkness behind her, vanishing into the black without a sound.

“Fuck you,” she sobbed, the tears now dripping down her chin. She quivered, every muscle in her body struggling to find hold, something to latch onto and feel whole again. It felt like her mind and body were being torn apart. Every fibre of her wanted to let go and embrace the blackness, but a small part of her mind resisted. No. Find hold. Find herself. Hold out for the light. Follow the plan. Ignore the pain. All she had left was the plan. 

That and the smile. 

Hope stood up and started moving toward the door. Every slight movement was agony. It was time. The sun was rising. This was going to work, or it wouldn’t. Either way the plan was moving forward. She raised her leg high and stepped up and over. His blue hair was turning purple. 

_ Blue plus red makes purple. I’m so sorry, Felix. _

He was gone but it was done. She just needed to move forward with the plan. Move forward toward the door. The sun was rising. 

The cabin door loomed in front of Hope. Contorting itself, it’s hinges and frame moving as they were beckoning her to move through the threshold - the rhythm of its hypnoticic movements matching the irregular pulse of her heart.

Hope saw a glint of light. Sunlight. It crept through the cabin like it was dragged by sinewy claws - touching and prodding the cabin’s architecture. Glancing off the darkness and revealing. She shuddered as it reflected pale, white skin. 

_ So white. Even whiter than before. Oh Jakub. _

His massive body was slumped over, his arm bent unnaturally to the side. Jutting back and around his shoulder, like he was trying to grasp some invisible object behind him, holding himself back. If he was awake he would have complained about the wrinkles in his shirt. No. He’d complain about the stains. His white collar, bright red and shiny this evening had turned burgundy. Crusty. The deep reddish-brown blotch became more crimson the closer it got to Blake’s teeth, still buried in Jakub’s neck. The sinister grin on her lips betrayed by the panic in her eyes, wide with fear. Her hands lay motionless at her sides, Jakub’s fingers still firmly grasped around her neck.

Hope felt a scream rising in her throat. Rage and shame and regret thrashed against her consciousness. Buzzing. Static. A low hum that vibrated in her teeth, smothering her logic. Blanketing her simple plan with a veneer of bad ideas. Jakub wouldn’t have done that. It wasn’t him. Maybe she could beat it. Maybe she could figure this out and save every-

_ STOP! It’s only you. The sun is up. Just get out of the cabin. They’re gone. _

She stood tall. The cabin was still dim but the light was outside. There was risk and it was time to take it. Her leg muscles screamed as she bolted for the door. Moving air cooling her damp face as she pushed out into the morning sunlight. Hope leapt over the threshold and screamed as her feet touched the soil. Five meters. She’d ran five meters and it felt like he’d just finished a marathon. 

And then she laughed. Hope cackled into the sunrise. Her joyous cries undercut by sorrow and exhaustion. She collapsed to her knees feeling the grass, damp from dew, soaking into her jeans. Her hand throbbed and she looked down. She was still clutching her mirror. Her mind felt clear, the new day burning away her fears like the sun burning away nighttime fog. She stood up and looked into the reflection, the frame of her compact elegantly circling the frame of the open front door.

Hope let out a giggle.

The smile was there, surrounded by shadow. How could you find expression in bare teeth? But she knew. It was frustrated. Mad even. Trapped within the darkness of the cabin.

_ Give it some time, buttercup. Hopefully you’ll feel better tomorrow.  _

_ Nothing like the reset of a new day. _

Hope closed the mirror, placing it in her back pocket before starting to walk forward. How the hell was she going to get home? The car was trashed and, even if it wasn’t, she had no idea how to navigate these backwood hick roads.

**Creak**

Hope spun around and looked into the open door. Nothing. 

She felt her pulse rise behind her eyes. A cold sweat glistened on her temples. 

“Poor baby. You want out, huh? Well tough shit.”

Hope drew the mirror from her pocket, spun her back to the door, and opened it.

Nothing.

She gulped. “That’s what I thought.”

And then, a spindly, spider-like leg reached out from the blackness. Curling itself around the wood siding of the cabin. Then a second from the other side of the door. Then another. Legs shrouded in shadow, bending unnaturally from narrow joints - like fingers broken in too many places. They pushed forward. Narrow bones culminating in a shifting, black fog. It drew her gaze to its center, the darkness subsuming any light that shone on it. 

And it smiled.


	2. I See You

In less than two weeks they would be married. Looking at Bobby, she wondered if it was possible to be happier. He was staring ahead, bobbing to the sounds of Ezra Koenig, focused on the road- tapping his hand on the steering wheel as he drove down the bumpy trail. Did he have any idea how beautiful he was? She told him often, but he always blushed furiously, never quite believing her words. 

They had met three years ago at a coffee in a situation right out of a rom-com. He paid for her drink when she realized she didn’t have enough, and sparks flew immediately. If his initial generosity wasn’t enough, he revealed he provided the baked goods for the shop and talked her into trying all of them. Since then, he had opened up his own bakery and she finished med school. They fell in love, met each other's families, moved in together and became engaged on that same day. 

Everything had fallen into place, like it was meant to be. 

She reached for his hand and kissed it gently, swiping the dark brown hair from her face to smile at him. Her blue eyes met his amber gaze.

He was beautiful. With dark locs and freckles she adored counting, never reaching the same total twice. He was modest and self deprecating about his looks, other than his long and slender hands which he often called ‘his one true beauty.’ He was her best friend- loving, fun and the person she was destined to spend the rest of her life with. She never thought she could love someone so much. 

“Hey, lovebirds.” Lottie called from the back of the car.

Lottie, her maid of honor. Childhood best friend. Instigator of a lifetime of drama. Believer in Girl Code, for everyone but herself. Hypocrite, superstitious, wild and wonderful Lottie. 

“How much longer?” She continued with slight irritation. 

Eva looked down at her phone, checking the map. “About ten more minutes.”

“I hope this place is decent, I can’t believe you trusted Chelsea to handle this. I’m your maid of honor, I had so many better ideas.” 

Eva resisted the urge to sigh with exasperation. It was a comment she’d heard from Lottie many times in recent weeks. “I know, but we wanted to do something chill, and Chelsea’s uncle is letting us stay here for the week for free. It’s going to be great, you’ll see.” 

“I hear cabin in the woods and I think dodgy, middle of nowhere, falling apart. There’d better not be bunk beds.” Gary, Lottie’s long term boyfriend said. 

“Remember the time Chelsea got us that sweet pad for a New Years Eve party?” Lottie brought up. Again. 

“And it was literally a shitty one bedroom apartment in Brixton.” Gary added.

“Ok, so Chelsea has a tendency to exaggerate, but whatever it is, we’ll all be together and we'll have a great time. Besides, this is our pre-wedding shindig. We get to decide and this is what we wanted to do.” Bobby jumped in, introducing his adorable Scottish drawl to the talk. He looked over at Eva, shook his head and smiled. 

She was grateful for him every day, but never more than when he defended her, especially to her friends who could be a bit much at times. 

Soon, he would be her husband. They just needed to get through the next couple weeks of prewedding chaos. A piece of cake. 

She looked ahead at the road. “Bobby stop!” She yelled, panic shooting down her spine.. A figure darted across the road, directly across their path.. Bobby slammed on the brakes and swerved to the side.

“What the hell!” Lottie yelled out. “What was that?”

It had passed so quickly, but it was a person. A woman with micro braids held back with a bright red scarf. 

The group exited the car and Bobby went to look to where the woman had run off too. He returned momentarily, “I don’t see anyone, I hope she’s ok.”

Eva went to check herself, “Where could she have gone?” Looking into the forest, there was no sign of life, of any person in danger. Had she even been there? 

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Lottie shrieked, her voice growing angry as she spoke. “I know you don’t believe in it, but all of the readings I’ve done for this trip have said we shouldn’t go. This trip is doomed.” 

“Lottie, it’s ok I promise, we’ll be fine.” Gary stroked her hair, calming the witchy girl like he always did. It was a gift. Eva always grew her agitation, but Gary had the magical touch to soothe the angry she-beast. 

“Let’s get going, we don’t want to leave the others waiting too long.” Bobby said, directing the group back to the car. 

Eva took one last look into the woods, an ominous feeling pooled in her gut. Why was it so dark in there? Maybe Lottie was right. 

* * *

“Took you lot long enough” Chelsea squealed running to greet them.

They had just pulled up at Chelsea’s uncle’s cabin and the bubbly blonde greeted them from the porch. Eva looked up in surprise at the cabin. At two stories high, it seemed strange to call it that. It was a large house hidden in the woods, not a cabin.

“Wow, Chels. This pace is amazing.” Gary said, taking it in.

“I know right. I used to come here all the time when I was younger. Just wait till you see inside.”

Suddenly, Eva heard a familiar boof.

“Carl!” Eva called out running for the porch, scooping up Chelsea’s pug and letting the adorable beast lick her face.

“Ooooh. Me next.” Bobby called out, as he pulled a suitcase from the car. 

“You two are meant to get a pug, We’re gonna be pug buddies. Soooon,” Chelsea trilled.

“Please don’t get us a dog as a wedding gift.” Eva laughed, hoping the blonde wouldn’t take it as an invitation to do the opposite.

Eva wanted a dog, and a cat, and a baby. But not right away, wanting to enjoy time with her precious hubby before adding to the family. 

He and Gary passed by, carrying luggage into the house. Bobby booped her on the nose as he passed. 

* * *

As the group entered the cabin, they each took in the spacious, gorgeous interior around them. Solid wood high beams, an elaborate tall brick fireplace, and wide staircase leading upstairs. Even Lottie was impressed. 

“Not bad.” The witchy blonde said, her highest seal of approval. 

Eva smiled, leaning against Bobby as he kissed her on the top of her head. 

“Eva, you wanted to go hiking right? There’s a cool spot a mile away that’s pretty amazing, we’ll have to check it out tomorrow,” Chelsea said.

“I’m out.” Lottie called from the kitchen as she and Gary finished up unloading the provisions.

‘Shocking,” Bobby said. “I’m in.” 

“Same.” Gary slapped his hand on Bobby’s shoulder, bounding onto the couch next to him. 

“In for what?” Priya said, holding Noah’s hand as they entered from the staircase. 

“Hiking tomorrow.” Eva said, running over to pull Priya in for a hug. She had known the three women for varying lengths of time and loved them each so much.

With Gary also in the wedding party, It made sense to plan a group activity as an alternative for a bachelorette or bachelor party. 

“Uh pass. No offense.” Priya ran her fingers through her hair, as if double checking she was on fleek. There was no need to look, she always was.

“What about you, Noah?”

“Um. I.” Noah looked to Priya for a decision. _Oh Noah, boring passive Noah. Unable to make a decision without looking to his girlfriend of eight years._

Priya rolled her eyes at Noah’s indecision. Things had been tense between the couple lately. Priya’s growing frustration with his failure to propose, propelling Noah into a ball of nerves.

“You should go, it’ll be fun.” Priya said, walking over to the makeshift bar Gary had set up to pour herself a shot of tequila.

“Gary, are you serious?” Chelsea said, wide-eyed before bursting into laughter. “Over there.” She pointed to a large bar area hidden in the corner of the main room.

“This place is almost too fancy.” Gary said, grabbing a couple of bottles and heading for the bar.

“I know, I want to start looking behind giant paintings for secret passages around here.”

“No secret passages, but there is a hot tub.” 

“Chelsea, I love you.” Eva said, pulling the girl in for a hug. “Thank you, thank you.” 

“Awww, you don’t have to thank me. Anything for my girl.” Chelsea said. After pulling away, she turned to Bobby. “When are your friends getting here?”

_Oh no. Chelsea. Can. Worms. Please, no._

“I don’t think they’ll be able to make it.” Bobby quickly shot out, pointedly looking at Lottie. “For some reason.” 

Lottie let out a dismissive “humph” from the corner. “It’s not my fault they can’t handle some honesty.” 

“You can’t even make the smallest effort to be nice to them. This was supposed to be a fun wedding party celebration before the big day.” Bobby’s voice raised in frustration, which was unusual for him. He was typically a people pleaser, sacrificing his happiness for others out of convenience. 

“It still is. Gary’s here. He’s in the wedding. And Louis couldn’t have come anyway. It’s not my problem Big Jonno has such a bug up his butt about me.”

“I didn’t want to get into this, but seriously Lottie? Do you even remember what you said to him last time we were out?” Eva jumped in, looking over at an exasperated Bobby.

“Yes, I was just being honest. I tell it how I see it, he can either deal with it or step off.”

Being friends with Lottie was exhausting, Eva couldn’t imagine what it was like to be the friend of a friend of Lottie’s. Taking the brunt of her truth telling with no filter or affection.

Lottie had always been a challenge, but lately things had been worse. She was more prone to irritability, easily agitated by a look or little comment. If Eva had met Lottie today, would they even be friends? It was a relationship born out of childhood compatibility and held together by a very loose thread of obligation. 

“Why can’t you even make an effort to be pleasant?”

“It sounds like you’re one of those people who has a problem with me too?” Lottie shot out, venom spilling off her tongue. Lottie was in attack mode, and Bobby her current target.

Eva stood frozen, knowing if she interceded it would be her next. It was a familiar situation.

“Cool down, Lozza.” Gary said, moving over to her, placing his hands on each side of her head. “Look at me, Breathe in, now out.” 

“I think I need a drink.” Eva’s face shifted into a tight smile, looking to Bobby who nodded in agreement. 

* * *

The bedroom was huge. Chelsea had told them the master suite was unreal but both Eva and Bobby were shocked by how nice it was. Rough-sawn cedar pillars surrounded a large bed, the frame some dark, exotic wood. Though there was still light from the setting sun, the room was unusually dim, moodily lit by subtle, suspended track lighting. A large window looked out to the woods below them - the extension making it seem like they were utterly alone in such a massive space. Calling this a “cabin” was certainly a stretch but Eva wasn’t about to complain.

Bobby rolled in the wobbly suitcase and let it fall haphazardly against the dresser. He stretched, opening his arms wide before falling backwards onto the bed. His eyes met Eva’s and he smiled his half-smile.

“So.”

“So what?”

“So should we try this bed out or what?”

Eva laughed and looked over at the suitcase. “Ten minutes. I just really want to get unpacked and settled.”

“We’re only here a week! Why waste time unpacking when we could be spending time doing, well, other things?” Bobby winked, a knowing smile drifting over his lips. He was acutely aware how cheesy he was, and knew it usually worked.

“That may be, but how are we supposed to make the best use of this space if it’s covered in clothes?”

“I mean, are they clothes that we’ve freshly torn off each others’ bodies?”

Eva crawled onto the bed and slinked up to Bobby, bringing her nose a centimeter from his. The words slid off her tongue like velvet. “You want to tear the clothes off my body? You want to rip off my top night after night and see all the fun, sexy things I brought for our week away?” Her voice lowered and her lips moved to his, their skin just barely touching, her chest imperceptibly brushing against his. “You want to fuck my brains out before I’m officaly yours forever?”

He gulped. His voice wavered as he croaked. “Yes.”

Eva pushed herself up and smiled. “Well then let’s get unpacked!”

Bobby let out a laugh, dramatically rolled his eyes, and smiled. “Anything for you, babe.” He jumped off the bed, pausing just a moment to adjust himself, and grabbed the suitcase. “I may not be great at packing, but I can unpack with the best of them.” He unzipped the luggage and dumped it out onto the bed.

Eva smiled and moved to the pile, taking turns grabbing items and hanging them up or putting them into drawers. Socks, shirts, jeans, Bobby raised his eyebrows when he came across something lacy. Eva gave a little wiggle and swiped them from his hands, moving away to put them in a drawer.

When she returned, Bobby was holding a brightly colored shirt. Red, blue, green, and orange. Covered in bananas and pineapples. Birds covered any other space that wasn’t occupied by gaudy colors. It was hideous.

“You brought your party shirt.”

“Yeah, I - I knew he wasn’t coming but I just thought maybe-”

“Bobby, I invited him. He just couldn’t-”

His voice grew stern, finishing his sentence, “he’d come anyway. I don’t know a surprise or something. Jonno does stuff like that sometimes. I know it’s not part of Lottie’s ‘master plan,’ but whatever. I wanted to be ready just in case.”

Bobby grabbed his party shirt, crumpled it in his hands and threw it to the side. He sat on the edge of the bed staring at the ground, his hands on the back of his head. Eva felt helpless. Bobby was so light, so easy-going. It hurt to see him genuinely upset. “Hey, after this trip we’ll get something planned with your friends. Just your friends. There’s still plenty of time before the wedding. Maybe we could play laser tag or something?”

Bobby sat silent, his fingers running through his hair. Tense. He took a deep breath and a smile glided across his lips. His hands dropped from his head and he looked up, the glean back in his eyes. “Only if I get to be on your team.”

Relief washed over her. He was okay. They would be okay. Bumps like this were terrifying, like some portent of their inevitable failure as a couple. But no, they made up. They worked through it. They worked.

Eva moved to him and put her hand on his cheek. He looked up and into her eyes. He smiled. She pulled his face to hers and pressed her mouth into his. Her tongue pushed into him so hard they fell back onto the bed, Eva scrambling above him, straddling him. She furiously unbuttoned the two buttons precariously holding his shirt together, sliding it off his shoulders before flinging it to the side. Bobby’s eyes were wide in surprise as she brought her mouth to his neck, pushing his face to the side, revealing as much skin as possible.

Eva’s tongue slid under his earlobe before drawing it into her mouth, gently sucking. Her hand glanced down his chest and abdomen, the light touch of her fingers drawing a line of goosebumps to his waist. She teased under his belt before thrusting her hand under, grabbing his length. Bobby let out a moan and Eva opened her eyes. Blank, white eyes stared back at her.

“Jesus christ!” Eva shot up, looking at the large mirror on the wall across from the bed. Bobby raised up on his arms to look at the reflection. He stifled a laugh.

“Not to wreck the mood or anything, but we’re both in agreement that Chelsea’s uncle put that mirror there for a reason, right?”

Eva was silent. The shock of the eyes still vibrating in her mind.

“Like, so he can watch himself getting it on? That’s the only possible reason to put a huge mirror there.”

Eva snapped back into the moment. She sighed and laughed. “Definitely. A place like this? I bet he does okay for himself.”

Bobby furled his brow as Eva pressed her mouth back into his, their tongues intermingling. Gently flicking and caressing. Her hands moved to his belt and deftly unbuckled it, her mouth never leaving his for a moment. Bobby’s hips bucked and she felt how hard he was against her. She stood up and looked down at him, motioning to his pants.

“Those. Off. Now please.”

Bobby wordlessley unbuttoned and pulled his jeans down while Eva moved to the door, locking it. Some kind of commotion was happening outside the room. 

_Oh Carl, you wild beast! Fight those baddies, protect your homestead!_

When she turned around Bobby had made some serious progress. He stood next to the bed, pulling off his sock - the one article of clothing left. Fully nude. Fully proud. Fully erect.

_What a doofus. But goddamn if I don’t love that doofus._

He struck a pose.

“Happy pre-wedding vacation, poppet!”

* * *

Eva held Bobby’s hand tightly, feeling content as they returned to the group. Loud music was blaring from the speakers.

_“With a taste of your lips I’m on a ride You're toxic I'm slipping under With a taste of a poison paradise”_

“Oooh. Finally you’re back. We should figure out a game to play.” Chelsea suggested, jumping along with the music, energized beyond the point of being satisfied with dancing.

“I’m in.” Gary said. “Two truths, one lie? Truth or Dare?” 

“Spin the bottle.” Priya yelled out, as the group laughed in response.

“These lips are just mine.” Eva said, running her finger along Bobby’s lips. 

“First, let’s change this shit.” Lottie said, swapping Chelea’s phone with her own, quickly replacing Brittney Spears for Phoebe Bridgers.

“Woof. Woof!” Carl ran to the window, yipping obnoxiously. 

“Carl!” Chelsea chastised the pup. “Quiet Carl. Weird, he normally doesn’t bark like that.” 

“Poor Carl, I wonder what’s bothering him.” Eva sat on the floor next to the creature, petting him as he continued to bark. She looked out the window, but only saw darkness. “Chels, are there any outdoor lights?”

“Uh. Maybe?” She answered, pushing up random light switches. Bright flood lights lit up the forest outside. 

Priya and Noah walked over to the window, peering out. “I don’t see anything, maybe he smelled an animal in the vicinity. Dogs have a good sense of smell right?”

“Yeah, I don’t know why they're so obsessed with smelling each other's butts. Shouldn’t that be even more gross if you can smell good?” Chelsea shrugged. 

“They actually smell 10,000 to 100,000 times better than humans.” Noah said. “It’s actually pretty interesting. They have a special part of their noses called the Jacobson's organ that lets them ignore the smell of poop when they sniff another dog’s rear. Instead they’re getting all sorts of detailed information about the dog.”

“I can always count on you for those delightful tidbits.” Priya smiled affectionately at her boyfriend. 

Carl had soothed slightly in Eva’s arms, but still seemed stressed out by something. She continued petting him, scratching him lightly under his chin. 

“My poor baby.” Chelsea said, scooping the dog into her arms and hugging him tightly. 

“This is a pretty big place,” Gary said. “Maybe he’s a stressed out being somewhere new. You haven’t had him for that long. He’s what, one year old?” 

“Aww, buddy, are you just a little scared. Let’s go outside quick and then I’ll put you in your crate so you can rest for the night.” Chelsea took Carl out through the front door, as Lottie passed out shots for the group.

“What is this?” Bobby asked?

“A surprise.” Lottie responded, handing him the glass with a smirk.

After several minutes, Lottie paced anxiously. “Ok, I’m done waiting for her. What is she giving that dog a bath before bed? Grab your glasses, I would like to propose a toast. To Bobby and Eva. Bobby, thank you for making my girl so happy. Eva, I love you, and you could do better. Happy almost wedding day. To Bobby and Eva.” Lottie called out holding her glass out as they clinked glasses together. Priya let out an enthusiastic “Wooo” before everyone downed their shot of Lottie’s concoction.

“What was that? Whiskey and amaretto?” Bobby asked, looking thoughtful. 

“You nailed it.” Lottie said.

“Ok people, what should we play? Bobby and Eva, you get to pick.” Gary said.

“Do we need to play a game, can’t we just listen to music and chat?”

_‘Laying down on the lawn I'm tired of trying to get in the house I'm thinking out loud I've been playing dead’_

“I think we’re going to need something better than Lottie’s jams for that.” Bobby said, grabbing Lottie’s phone to change the music.

“Don’t you even think about it.” Lottie threatened with the subtlest of eyebrow raises. 

“Fiiiine.” Bobby said, placing the phone back on the table and launching himself onto the couch.

“Let’s play truth or dare. I’ll go first. I choose dare. Pick something for me, pumpkin.” Eva said, wanting to cheer him up. Wedding planning had been stressful. That small wedding they wanted wasn’t happening. Everything was big and they had lost control. Now, Bobby couldn’t even play the music he wanted at his sort of bachelor party. 

“I dare you to scare Chelsea.” Bobby said

“Ooooh. Fun. I’m on it.” Eva grinned, heading for the front door, slowly opening it. A quick glance outside and Chelsea was nowhere to be seen. She shivered from the brisk chill in the air and walked carefully to not give herself away. 

She peaked around the corner of the porch, preparing to see Chelsea. But there was no one. The flood lights were still on, illuminating much of the front yard, but there wasn’t a sign of Chelsea or Carl. Beyond where the light fell, there was darkness. It sent a shiver up her spine. Anything could be in those woods.

She looked around, stepping further out for a better view of the lawn. Where would they have gone? 

The flood lights suddenly turned off, bathing the scene in darkness. Eva reached for her phone, fumbling to open the flashlight, and waved it in front of her. 

“Chelsea!” Eva yelled, too freaked out to care about playing a silly game. 

*snap* She heard the sound of footsteps and the crunch of leaves. And then heavy breathing.

She held her breath, fighting the panicked feelings shooting through her. The noises grew closer until she saw him, Carl running up towards the porch. Caked with mud, his leash flinging wildly behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

“Chelsea wouldn’t have just left. Something had to have happened to her. Look at Carl.” Eva paced, stopping only to gesture to the small dog shivering in the corner. 

“I know, but what can we do now? The power is out, we called the police and they said they would come by in the morning. If something happened to Chelsea, I don’t think we can do anything about it tonight.” Bobby approached and rubbed her shoulders. Something that usually soothed her, but now left her even more frustrated. His attempts at comfort now felt condescending, why wasn’t anyone taking this seriously? 

It was absurd, the group huddled on the porch each holding their phones with the flashlight function as the only source of light.

“This is just classic Chelsea,” Priya moaned. “We couldn't have one trip that didn’t become about her?”  
  
“Do you seriously think she faked an abduction?” Lottie asked incredulously. 

“Wouldn’t put it past her. Girl is desperate for attention. I bet she pops up tomorrow morning with some dramatic tale about being lost in the woods.” 

“That’s not fair, Priya. Chelsea wouldn’t scare us all like this intentionally.” Bobby said, raising his voice in annoyance.

_Thank you, Bobby._

“I hope you’re right, that she comes back tomorrow. I don’t think she would have done it intentionally, but maybe she did just get lost.” Eva said, hoping it was true but feeling in her gut it wasn’t. 

“We should all head to bed and start fresh in the morning. There’s nothing else we can do tonight.” Noah reached for Priya’s hand.

“You’re right, especially with the power out. We aren’t going to be able to charge our phones tonight, our batteries are just draining running the flashlights out here. We should rest and organize a search party tomorrow.” Gary said. 

Bobby hugged Eva from behind, trying to comfort her like he always did. Today, it didn’t help. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that something horrible had happened to Chelsea.

And she couldn’t quite forget the white eyes she had seen earlier. She had brushed it aside, but now she wondered. Had she actually imagined it?

Eva nodded hesitantly. “Right, let’s all go to bed. Plug your phones in just in case the power goes on. We’ll break up into groups tomorrow and look for Chelsea.” 

The group slowly and quietly trudged up the stairs to bed. Eva grabbed Carl, making the decision to let him sleep in bed with her and Bobby tonight. Even without Chelsea missing, navigating the unfamiliar passage to the bedroom with little light would have been scary. Now, it was terrifying. Carl’s presence gave her a tiny bit of solace. He wasn’t the most fearsome guard dog, but it was better than no protection.

Despite the darkness, she couldn’t let go of the feeling that something was watching her. 

Bobby held her close as she tried to fall asleep. All she could think about was how scared and dirty Carl had been as he retreated from the woods. What happened to rattle him so much? The sleeping pug snored loudly against her - any answers he had, unable to be shared.

* * *

Waking up the next morning, Eva shot up. Light. There was light. They needed to locate Chelsea. Carl and Bobby were still sound asleep. She went to check her phone. 7:25 am. 

She raced downstairs, hoping to discover that Chelsea had magically appeared in the night. The bedroom she had designated as hers, close to the kitchen, was empty. The bed looked pristine, having clearly not been slept in.

It was silly to have hoped. But still, she searched the rest of the rooms unoccupied by her sleeping friends. She stepped out on the porch. Looking into the woods that had seemed so beautiful yesterday- now they were bathed in menace. 

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Eva jumped at the touch. Turning she saw Bobby, clad only in his underwear, eyes wide with concern. 

“Fuck, Bobby. You scared me.” 

“Fair. You scared me first. I woke up and you were gone. I thought something might have happened.” He pulled her in for a hug, gently caressing her head. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I was hoping she would just be here. That everything would be normal. But it’s not. Something is wrong here. You feel it too right?” She asked hoping for confirmation she wasn’t crazy. 

“Yes. I do. I didn’t want to say anything and freak you out. It’s just been some little things. I thought I saw something in the kitchen, a reflection in the glass. When you left to find Chelsea, the music kept turning off and on.”

_The house is just an illusion of safety._

Eva took another look into the woods and turned to Bobby. “I don’t feel much safer here” She gestured to the cabin. “Whatever’s happening, it’s already been here. But whatever got Chelsea, it could come for us too. We should wake up the others. Start the search.”

* * *

Priya seemed irritated by the disruption to her sleep but the others were eager to begin the search. The power hadn’t returned but Bobby managed to finagle a small breakfast of buttered bread for the group. Lottie heated up water on the stove to make tea, insisting on doing tea readings before setting off. 

There was an awkward silence to it all. Each member of the party with their own concerns. Eva just felt anxious to begin, unsure of what they would find. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw those white eyes she had seen in the mirror. The eyes she had ignored. Deep in her bones, she knew it was those eyes that had Chelsea.

“We should figure out a plan for the day. One group should wait here for the police to arrive, give a statement and see if they can help with the search.”

“That sounds like a plan for me and Noah.” Priya smiled, leaning against her boyfriend.

“Once you talk to them, can you update the rest of us? Bobby and I are going to check the woods. Gary and Lottie, take the car and check out other houses in the area. Find out if anybody has seen anything. And then head into town to ask around.”

“Sounds good.” Lottie said, holding tight to Gary’s hand. 

The group dispersed each prepared for their task. So much for a pleasant day of hiking.

* * *

Leaves crunched under their feet as Eva and Bobby traversed the dense thicket of the woods, each cursing under their breath between calling Chelsea’s name. Everytime it seemed they were on a worn path it would inexplicably end, leading only to more thick underbrush. A cool layer of dew was forming on their skin as the hours went on, adding a damp, unpleasant clamminess to every movement. Bobby swatted a bug away from his face and groaned loudly. Eva swung her head around to look at him, glaring.

“Sorry. I’m just tired. And frustrated, obviously.”

Eva softened. “I know. So am I. Can’t say this is how I was expecting to spend our vacation. Chelsea has always been pretty flaky, but this is different. Something happened to her.”

“Let’s hope not. Maybe she’s back at the cabin right now waiting for us. Like this was all some big misunderstanding.”

“God I hope so, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

They trudged onwards leaving a wake of broken branches and depressed undergrowth behind them. Eva led the way, her throat hoarse from yelling.

“Ow!”

Eva turned around. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I didn’t say anything.” Bobby shrugged.

“Sorry, I thought I heard something.”

“How mad will you be if Chelsea jumps out and yells ‘surprise!’”

Eva stopped dead in her tracks. “Bobby I swear to god if this is one of your pranks-”

Her thought was cut off as a loud giggle echoed through the trees. She tensed up and glanced around before continuing, “I can’t believe you would do this! I wanted to spend the week relaxing by a warm fire and you have me staying up all night and then trudging through the woods on some kind of snipe hunt!?” She turned around and pushed past Bobby, practically knocking him into the brush on either side of the path. “I’m going back and then I’m going home.”

Bobby’s jaw dropped as he spread his arms, “Babe this isn’t a prank, I promise!”

“Whatever, you just couldn’t resist with your childish-”

“Hahaha! Dude stop!” Laughter and an unfamiliar voice yelled in the distance.

Bobby looked at Eva and dramatically raised his arms, a hurt smile glancing across his lips.

_Fuck_

“I- I’m sorry.”

His arms dropped to his sides, “No prob, bob. Let’s just see what’s going on. Maybe they’ve seen Chelsea?”

Eva and Bobby followed the faint laughter and yelling until the shadow of a massive rock covered them. They arrived at a small clearing, a single tent and stone fire ring filled the space. Two men, one with messy, blonde-hair and the other with black hair, styled prim and proper. The black-haired man seemed to be replacing bandages on the other’s leg, intentionally tickling him as he did it. “Haha! You’ve got to stop it with that!”

“Um, hey!” Eva called out.

The medic flung his hands in the air and shrieked, falling backwards and almost slamming into the tent. His companion looked amused. “Really?” He leaned up on his elbows and looked toward Eva and Bobby, peering outside the camp. “Hey there! What’s up? Is everything okay?”

The couple emerged from the thicket into the clearing. Eva brushed some loose debris from her sleeve. “We’re fine. Sorry. We - we were just looking for our friend. She’s going missing - you haven’t seen anyone else come through here, have you? Short, blonde hair?”

“Probably yabbed your ear off on the way.” Bobby added. Eva jammed him in the ribs with her elbow.

The dark-haired medic stood up and dusted himself off. “No, sorry. We’ve been here four days and you’re the only people we’ve seen. I’m Lucas by the way. That’s Henrik.” He motioned to the injured man who signed off with a salute.

“Hey.”

Eva stepped closer, looking at his bandaged leg. A spot of blood was starting to seep through the gauze. “What happened? Are you alright?”

“Totally! Just took a spill off that ledge over there.” He motioned to the cliff side. A pile of rubble lay heaped at the base. “Rocks gave way, it happens. I was able to catch hold before busting myself up too bad. I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.” Lucas cut in, “It’s all I can do to keep gangrene from setting in. You should have been more careful, you know there are voids in the rocks around here.”

“Why haven’t you called someone? That injury looks pretty rough.” Bobby interjected. Henrik looked offended.

“With what? If you’re implying we brought cell phones, you’re nuts. Those things cause cancer and are a wall against bonding with natural elements. We’re here to become one with nature, not pretend we’re in some corporate board meeting.”

Eva opened her mouth to respond. A pithy rejoinder poised on the tip of her tongue, but she resisted. 

_Hippies. Great._

Lucas grimaced then nodded, “I never trust anything I see on a cell phone. They distort your reality. Make you believe the world is smaller than it really is.”

“Oh. Okay.” Bobby frowned and looked to Eva. She looked back, bewildered. “Do you want us to get help or anything? We have a cabin a couple hour walk from here. You could come back with us until you’re feeling better. The police may even be there by now - they could call out an ambulance.” 

Henrik smiled, “Naw, we’re good. I should be up and running in a day or two and I really want to stick close to the cavern I uncovered. I think it contains some historical significance!” His voice raised with excitement.

“He’s - he’s not wrong,” Lucas added, wearily. “I went up there yesterday. There are etchings. Some kind of marking on the walls. Definitely something ancient, maybe Druidic? I don’t know. I’m not the smartest about that kind of stuff. You should check it out, it’s not too far up.” He pointed toward a small hole in the rocky cliffside about three meters up.

“I think we’ll pass, we should really get going. Our friend has been missing one night already and we’re losing light.” He touched Eva’s shoulder, “C’mon, we should go.”

Eva’s gaze lingered on the cavern entrance. A gust of wind caused leaves to blow, disturbing some dust. The opening looked as if it was breathing. She felt drawn to it, an unknowable force grasping her hand and gently pulling her toward the open maw.

“Bobby, give me a boost.”

He looked shocked, “Are you serious? We need to keep going. It’s going to be dark soon and I don’t want to get stuck out here.”

“Exactly. There’s no point going any further. I just want to see what’s up there and then we’ll turn around and go back,” Eva said tersely. Bobby looked hurt. “Chelsea isn’t out here. There’s no way she would have come this far. We’re just wasting time anyway. I don’t know what we should do or where we should look. I don’t think- I don’t know if anything we’re doing is right but I know I want to look in that fucking cavern. Okay?” Her hands shook in frustration, a feeling of helplessness overtaking her. “Just let me do this.”

She pushed past Bobby, walking to the base of the stone. She put her hands up, looking for any kind of handhold. Finding one, she began to pull herself up - her eyes focused intently on the opening above her. The rocky cliffside stung against the pads of her fingers. Eva fought for every bit of height, her muscles burned, and just like that, she felt relief. A weightlessness below her. Eva looked down to see Bobby’s amber eyes - filled with determination and a little pain. His palms against the spiky treads of her hiking boots, he pushed her up the last meter, allowing her to grab hold of the cave opening and pull herself up.

“Crazy how hard even a short distance is when you’re starting from the bottom, isn’t it?!” she heard Henrik shout from below. 

The opening was smaller than it appeared from the ground. At only about half a meter wide, it was a struggle to crawl through without scraping up her knees and elbows. Once inside it opened up significantly. A black void surrounded her, the sounds of the outside world fell away into muffled groans before vanishing completely.

Eva unlocked her phone and turned on the flashlight, her battery was running low but she felt compelled to see the markings Lucas spoke of. The white light shone out in front of her, illuminating the rough walls. She moved deeper inside. Red glyphs canvassed the back wall. Though the entire cave was only about two meters in diameter, it felt massive. Crimson loops and spirals interconnected and expanded from their cores, drawing out the walls of the cave to impossible lengths. She traced the organic lines with her fingers - they were enticing, soothing. She felt calm, like her eyes could follow the red lines along every patch of stone wall. Rough to smooth. Smooth to rough. She knelt down, her eyes blurring against the red cacophonous knot before her. From the front, from the sides. Twisting. The stone below her knees felt soft, warm.

“Eva!”

Her eyes snapped back into focus - a single, small Celtic knot was etched onto the back wall before her.

“Eva are you okay? We should get going!” Bobby’s voice echoed from outside the cave. 

“Yeah, coming!” Eva yelled, turning back. She winced against the bright light of the entrance. The sun shining through the hole was nearly blinding. She shut her eyes hard and blinked a few times, adjusting to the new illumination. When she opened them, she saw new marks. Different. Aggressive. Hard, straight lines. Vertical and parallel to the crumbled opening. And across the red lines was something else. Gashes hewn into the hard stone - like claw marks inside a cage.


End file.
